FILE - JUNE 4: According to reports June 4, 2014, quarterback Colin Kaepernick signed a six-year $110 million deal, including $61 million guaranteed, with the San Fransisco 49ers. SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 23: Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers drops back to pass against the Atlanta Falcons at Candlestick Park on December 23, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

FILE - JUNE 4: According to reports June 4, 2014, quarterback Colin...

When asked Wednesday if the financial comfort provided by his six-year contract extension could dull his maniacal work ethic, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick offered a standard pro-athlete line: It's not about the money.

"I don't think my motivation is money-driven," Kaepernick said. "I think it's driven by the success I can have on the field. Not necessarily for myself, but with my teammates."

Athlete tripe, right? Perhaps not in this case.

Kaepernick's extension, which is worth up to $126 million, is actually quite team-friendly when the details are laid out. According to multiple reports, only $13.073 million of his $61 million in so-called guarantees is fully guaranteed at signing. His base salaries from 2015 to '17 - and a portion of his 2018 base salary - are guaranteed for injury only, meaning the 49ers can part ways after any season with few financial ramifications if his career nosedives.

In addition, $24 million from 2015 to 2020 is tied up in de-escalators and per-game roster bonuses. Kaepernick will forfeit $125,000 for every regular-season game in which he is inactive. He'll lose $12 million if he has no season in which he plays 80 percent of the snaps while either starting in a Super Bowl or being named a first- or second-team All-Pro.

Those details help explain what Kaepernick meant on Wednesday when he said his seemingly budget-busting deal still gave the 49ers flexibility to sign other players, which was a point of emphasis for him. Wide receiver Michael Crabtree and Pro Bowl left guard Mike Iupati are both contract-extension candidates and Kaepernick counts only $3.76 million against the 2014 salary cap.

"That was something that my agents and the organization worked out," Kaepernick said of the contract structure. "And they felt like this was something they would be able to get other players with."

Kaepernick is represented by Scott Smith of XAM Sports, an agency that counts Kaepernick and Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin as its only bigger-name clients. Did the 49ers take advantage of Smith's lack of experience in negotiating such a significant contract?

It's possible, but Joel Corry, an NFL agent for 16 years, notes it's also conceivable Smith was carrying out his client's wishes.

"I think the deal is more favorable for the 49ers than to Kaepernick," said Corry, who now covers NFL contract and salary-cap issues for CBS. "But you don't know what the objective was for Kaepernick. I've seen some rumblings that he wanted to have a deal that made it possible for them to retain other talent on the team. And if you're the agent, you're supposed to achieve your client's objectives. You work for the client, not the other way around.

"So it could be a situation where Kaepernick gave the agents those type of objectives and parameters. And the agent is just executing the deal that Kaepernick wanted. I don't think a lot of agents would want to do a deal that is this team-friendly just because other agents use deals against each other in recruiting. Even though on paper the numbers looks great, structurally it's not as impressive as we first thought."

Corry noted the Kaepernick's $13.073 million guarantee at signing and the pay-as-you-go structure of the deal gives him very little protection. For example, quarterbacks such as Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, Baltimore's Joe Flacco and Atlanta's Matt Ryan all received at least $42 million fully guaranteed at signing.

Kaepernick's relatively little up-front money is a unique part of such a deal. And, perhaps, so was his motivation in agreeing to it.

"Most players aren't too concerned with cap ramifications for the other players," Corry said. "Most players are looking out for No. 1. And that's their first, second and third priority."

Explaining the deal

Colin Kaepernick's six-year contract extension is worth up to $126 million, but the fine print suggests the deal leans in favor of the team:

-- It includes an NFL-record $61 million in "guarantees," but only $13.073 million (his signing bonus, 2014 base salary and workout bonus) is fully guaranteed at signing. He will count $3.76 million against the 2014 salary cap.

-- His base salaries from 2015-17 - and a portion of his 2018 base salary - are guaranteed for injury only. That is, Kaepernick can't be released if he is hurt, but the 49ers can part ways for any other reason without paying him his base salary for that season. His base salaries become fully guaranteed on April 1 of each year. His $39.8 million in base salary from 2019-20 is nonguaranteed.

-- Starting in 2015, it includes $2 million annual de-escalators that could lower the value of his deal by $12 million if he doesn't have a season in which he plays 80 percent of the offensive snaps while also starting the Super Bowl or being named a first- or second-team All-Pro. Kaepernick can eliminate the de-escalators as soon as 2014 by having such a season.

-- From 2015-20, Kaepernick has $12 million tied up in per-game roster bonuses. That is, he will lose $125,000 for each regular-season game in which he is inactive.

-- Kaepernick was required to purchase a disability policy that pays the 49ers $20 million if he suffers a career-ending injury.